Ibyeol

FAREWELL opens with actress Yeong-ok (Kim Ji-mi) lost in downtown Paris. Apparently not a patron of taxis, Yeong-ok walks around (from the airport?!) and tries to get directions to her destination from the locals. Not speaking French is causing some problems as she is forced to rely on broken English. Finally giving up, Yeong-ok places a call to the Korean embassy to get some help. An employee at the embassy, Catherine (Oh Su-mi) discerns her location, picks her up and takes her to the hotel. Before leaving, she promises to take Yeong-ok on a tour of the city the next day.

Alone in her room, we learn the reason to Yeong-ok's trip to Paris. She is looking for her ex-husband, Ho-il (Shin Sung-il). Their separation had not been easy for Yeong-ok who could best be described as 'clingy'. During her flashback where Ho-il walks out on her, she is lying on the floor with her arms wrapped about his knees, pleading with him not to go. This does not seem to be the best method to keep someone who claims they are feeling suffocated in a relationship and Ho-il quickly leaves.

Catherine shows up the next day to give a tour of the city as promised. Later, she leaves Yeong-ok in the care of her beatnik friend while she prepares for her date with her fiance. If you cannot guess who her fiance is, you do not watch enough melodramas. Yes, Catherine is preparing to marry Ho-il. When the ex-spouses are introduced at Catherine's home, they pretend not to know each other for her sake and the sake of her parents. However, when Ho-il later shows up at the hotel, it takes less than 5 minutes for Yeong-ok to seduce him. It seems as if Yeong-ok has won her husband back. That is, until Catherine is in a car accident. Then Ho-il is forced to choose which woman he pities enough to marry.

The story of FAREWELL is not bad, but it does drag in parts. This is especially true of the travelogue segment. When Catherine shows up and gives Yeong-ok a tour of Paris, the viewer is advised to make a sandwich, brew some coffee, and maybe clean the floor. By the time you are finished, the tour of Paris will just be ending. I was unaware of this and watched more than 20 minutes (of a 92 minute movie) showing footage of scenes of the Eiffel Tower, scenes of the Louvre Museum, scenes from the Eiffel Tower, scenes of the Arc de'Triumph, scenes of the Eiffel Tower....

However, more than compensating for the boring packaged tour is the mirth I received from the parade of hideous fashions foisted on the lead actors. Kim Ji-mi and Oh Su-mi seem to be in competition as to who can wear the ugliest bell-bottomed jumpsuits. I haven't seen anything like them since I was a kid watching the Donnie and Marie Hour. And the unsuspecting viewer may be blinded by Shin Sung-il's retina-searing all-white suit. The colors of the clothes were not random however and serve multi-purposes. First, they made it very easy to locate the cast in the on-location crowded Paris street shots. The clothes were also used for contrast such as when Yeong-ok goes to Catherine's home wearing a hanbok and presents Catherine, who at the times is wearing a midriff-revealing outfit, with her own set of traditional clothes. And finally, one of the most artistic shots in the movie is greatly enhanced with a bright blue velvet bathrobe which 'accidently' gets shed and used as a blanket.

For the most part, the acting is good. Kim Ji-mi overplays her role a bit and it makes Yeong-ok seem rather pathetic and irritating to the modern audience instead of gaining the viewer's sympathy as was intended. Oh Su-mi steals the show however with her rendition of the Korean-French girl, Catherine. Unfortunately, Miss Oh's career in films was rather limited, appearing in less than 30 films. Her most recent film was 1986's EMPEROR OF SEOUL (sometimes listed as JESUS OF SEOUL).

FAREWELL inspired a supposed sequel, FAREWELL 2 (1974), but it was a sequel in name only. None of the same characters appear or are referenced in any way. The basic plot of FAREWELL was used in PARIS AEMA (1988). This, apparently enjoyed more success as it was released in Japan and Taiwan and one website claims that it was presented at the 39th Berlin Festival and the 42nd Cannes Film Fesitval! FAREWELL was directed by Shin Sang-ok, produced by Shin Sang-ok, and had cinematography by Shin Sang-ok. Shin Sang-ok let Hwang Mun-pyeong do the music.